Enugu government announces end to sit-at-home citizens requests Nnamdi Kanu’s release.

To help the nation heal, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

At the conclusion of his first security council meeting with the heads of all the security agencies at the Government House in Enugu, Mbah made the appeal while outlining the decisions made.

He said, “I call on our newly sworn-in president, President Bola Tinubu, to consciously work towards the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We believe that his release will expedite the healing process Nigeria needs at this time.

“It will also be a pointer to his administration’s extension of brotherly hands of fellowship to Ndigbo,” he said.

The governor stated that beginning on Monday, June 6, 2023, there would be no more limitations of this nature, noting that such decrees were limiting innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity in the state.

On the other hand, Mbah stated that his government was prepared “to engage in dialogue with people, who have genuine grievances towards bringing lasting peace and security to Enugu State.”

The governor reminded the citizens of Enugu that he had started off strong on the day of his inauguration by signing three executive orders for the state’s good governance, including Executive Order 002 for the removal of “Unauthorized Street Barriers Across the State Within 100 Days.” The deputy governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ossai, was also present at the meeting.

He said, “There is no time to waste. The clock has started ticking on the mandate you gave me and the deliverables I promised,” he reiterated.

“A time comes in the lives of a people when they must decide whether they genuinely want to move forward or remain stuck with the conditions of their underdevelopment.

“The creativity and sense of industry of Ndi Igbo are remarkable. Our DNA is wired with commercial and entrepreneurial prowess.

“If this is what we are known by, then it becomes inconsistent with reality that the spirit of entrepreneurship, commerce and creativity are killed every Monday in our land. Our restless spirit of industry abhors laxity and indolence.

“The idea behind sitting at home on Monday, the first working and business day of the week, is abominable and antithetical to greatness and the spirit of the industry we profess to have inherited from our forebears. This cannot be us. Tufiakwa (God forbid). It does colossal damage to us,” he further added.

Mbah reminded the populace that the thriving economy of the state was directly related to the lofty promises he had made to them.

“For us to transit from a public service economy to a private sector-driven one, we must free our markets from the shackles of restriction to commerce. If indeed we aspire and anticipate an influx of private sector practitioners and investors in Enugu State, we must know that this will not happen where the perception of us is that of unproductive people.

“Therefore, those that strike on Mondays, putting restrictions in the way of our Igbo spirit of creativity, cannot be our true representatives. In fact, they kill our spirit.

“We know that our land is a fertile ground for commerce. However, businesses, entrepreneurship and commerce require a vibrant workforce and big markets where they can flourish and make money.

“To this end, therefore, from Monday, June 6, 2023, there will be no observance of any sit-at-home in all nooks and crannies of Enugu State.

“Government will enforce this with all the powers at its disposal.

“My charge to all of you – market men and women, the corporate world, industries, schools, civil servants, and all strata of workers in Enugu State  – is for us to take back our sense of industry, pride of place and re-enact our glorious past.

“By heeding this call, you would have set us on the path of actualising our mandate,” he stated.